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The Cherenkov Camera for the PBR mission

Valentina Scotti, Antonio Anastasio, Mario Bertaina, Alfonso Boiano, Rossella Caruso, Cristian De Santis, Vincenzo Masone, Marco Mese, Giuseppe Osteria, Beatrice Panico, Giuseppe Passeggio, Francesco Perfetto, Haroon Akhtar Qureshi, Ester Ricci

TL;DR

The paper presents the Cherenkov Camera (CC) for the POEMMA-Balloon with Radio (PBR) mission, a stratospheric instrument designed to detect optical Cherenkov emission from high-altitude air showers and upward-going tau neutrinos. It details the CC's 2048 SiPM focal-plane, a curved focal surface with a 12° × 6° FoV and 0.2° per-pixel resolution, integrated with bi-focal optics and a dual-polarized radio system to enable multi-messenger measurements. The readout chain uses the MIZAR (64-channel, 256-memory) ASIC with trigger-on-validation, supported by FPGAs and a potential Radioroc alternative for lower data budgets and adjustable SiPM gain, all operating within a 10 ns integration window. Simulations using Geant4 and EASCherSim predict a detection threshold near $0.5~ ext{PeV}$ with peak sensitivity around $3~ ext{PeV}$ and a rate of tens of events per hour, highlighting the CC's role as a pathfinder for POEMMA and a bridge between ground-based and space-based high-energy astrophysics. The work demonstrates a viable, high-performance, multi-messenger capability that can advance the technical readiness of future space missions and contribute to the understanding of UHECRs and astrophysical neutrinos.

Abstract

The POEMMA-Balloon with Radio (PBR) mission is a NASA super-pressure balloon experiment designed to advance the detection of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, high-altitude horizontal air showers, and astrophysical neutrinos. A key instrument of PBR is the Cherenkov Camera (CC), which utilizes a 2048-pixel SiPM camera to detect the optical Cherenkov emission from cosmic-ray-induced air showers and search for upward-going signals indicative of neutrinos. The CC operates in the 320-900 nm spectral range with a 10 ns integration time, leveraging a bi-focal optical design to enhance detection efficiency. The CC enables precise reconstruction of shower trajectories and provides valuable data on cosmic rays' composition and energy distribution. PBR's sub-orbital altitude is particularly advantageous for these measurements, offering a unique vantage point that bridges the observational gap between ground-based and space-based instruments. Additionally, the CC will play a critical role in neutrino searches, detecting tau-lepton decay showers from Earth-skimming neutrinos associated with astrophysical transients. By integrating the CC with fluorescence and radio detection systems, PBR will pioneer a multi-messenger approach to high-energy cosmic phenomena, refining observational techniques for future space-based missions. This contribution will describe the current status of the development of the CC as well as its expected performance.

The Cherenkov Camera for the PBR mission

TL;DR

The paper presents the Cherenkov Camera (CC) for the POEMMA-Balloon with Radio (PBR) mission, a stratospheric instrument designed to detect optical Cherenkov emission from high-altitude air showers and upward-going tau neutrinos. It details the CC's 2048 SiPM focal-plane, a curved focal surface with a 12° × 6° FoV and 0.2° per-pixel resolution, integrated with bi-focal optics and a dual-polarized radio system to enable multi-messenger measurements. The readout chain uses the MIZAR (64-channel, 256-memory) ASIC with trigger-on-validation, supported by FPGAs and a potential Radioroc alternative for lower data budgets and adjustable SiPM gain, all operating within a 10 ns integration window. Simulations using Geant4 and EASCherSim predict a detection threshold near with peak sensitivity around and a rate of tens of events per hour, highlighting the CC's role as a pathfinder for POEMMA and a bridge between ground-based and space-based high-energy astrophysics. The work demonstrates a viable, high-performance, multi-messenger capability that can advance the technical readiness of future space missions and contribute to the understanding of UHECRs and astrophysical neutrinos.

Abstract

The POEMMA-Balloon with Radio (PBR) mission is a NASA super-pressure balloon experiment designed to advance the detection of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, high-altitude horizontal air showers, and astrophysical neutrinos. A key instrument of PBR is the Cherenkov Camera (CC), which utilizes a 2048-pixel SiPM camera to detect the optical Cherenkov emission from cosmic-ray-induced air showers and search for upward-going signals indicative of neutrinos. The CC operates in the 320-900 nm spectral range with a 10 ns integration time, leveraging a bi-focal optical design to enhance detection efficiency. The CC enables precise reconstruction of shower trajectories and provides valuable data on cosmic rays' composition and energy distribution. PBR's sub-orbital altitude is particularly advantageous for these measurements, offering a unique vantage point that bridges the observational gap between ground-based and space-based instruments. Additionally, the CC will play a critical role in neutrino searches, detecting tau-lepton decay showers from Earth-skimming neutrinos associated with astrophysical transients. By integrating the CC with fluorescence and radio detection systems, PBR will pioneer a multi-messenger approach to high-energy cosmic phenomena, refining observational techniques for future space-based missions. This contribution will describe the current status of the development of the CC as well as its expected performance.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 8 sections, 3 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Scientific Objectives of the Cherenkov Camera
  3. The Focal Surface
  4. The Read-out Electronics
  5. Mechanics and optics
  6. Currents status
  7. Conclusions
  8. Acknowledgements

Figures (3)

  • Figure 1: A cad view of the Focal Surface of PBR. Right panel: the Cherenkov camera and its electronics. Left panel: the Cherenkov Camera is positioned below the Fluorescence Camera.
  • Figure 2: The Elementary Cell (CC-PDM) of the Focal Surface of the Cherenkov camera and its read-out electronics based on the Radioroc ASIC
  • Figure 3: Experimental setup used to measure the PDE of the SiPM arrays. The optical fiber is connected to a Hamamatsu PLP-10 laser diode head (405 nm).